Mongrels Tooth and Consequences, snippet 3

Thankfully it was a quiet night. I’d not looked forward to the possibility of having to fight off whatever this new creature was by myself. Sure, sure, the commotion would wake everyone up, but it would take time for them to get ready. With no idea what creature, or magic, I was facing. That’s always enough to make a fella nervous. Anyway, as the camp started stirring, I decided I may as well start making everyone breakfast. I broke out the bag of flour and prepared some damper to put in the camp oven. After burying the camp oven in hot ashes I went over to where the SCC had a portable barbecue and started preparing some bacon and eggs to go with the damper.
The smell of cooking breakfast, for whatever reason, seems to get even the person who despises mornings to move a bit quicker. Once we were done eating breakfast, the ladies went off for their morning wash-up. I put on my oilskin jacket with the wyvern hide lining. It was probably the best defense I had considering I had no idea what we’d be facing. Fidelma had convinced the SSC to pony up two pairs of greaves, one for each of the girls. They didn’t have anything in my size. Story of my life. Happens when your size can change from day to day, especially with things that need to be fitted individually.
When I asked her about it, Fidelma merely smiled and looked at me. “Really, Thal? I knew you wouldn’t think of it because you don’t think of asking anyone to provide something for you in case it won’t fit when you get there. But when the injuries were described to me, I thought it prudent to ring the Sergeant and get him to have some leg protection for myself and Isolde available on site.”
I grunted. It was yet another example of how ill-suited I was to work as part of a team. While I did trust both Isolde and Fidelma to have my back, there were just so many little things I simply did not consider. I’d been working alone for so long. Fidelma leaned across and kissed me on the forehead. “Don’t worry about it, you’ll get used to working with others.” She smiled and walked away to finish gearing up.
We headed into the bush once the sun was fully up and we were ready. If we had not returned within 24-hours, the SSC would call reinforcements and sweep the area with the additional troops. If we hadn’t returned within twenty-four hours, the chances were we would be dead. It also meant that these magical creatures were far too dangerous to leave in place. They’d need to be exterminated.
There was a big bonus if we brought one back alive. I laughed at that.